WHEN AND HOW HE DIED
Brent was killed the evening of November 22 by a city bus while riding a bicycle to his favorite swimming pool in Bangalore, India. It’s an understatement that Brent was a well-loved, kind person, who lived an interesting and well-documented life.

Those close to Brent know he would prefer funds go to a cause rather than flowers in his memory. With that in mind, a Memorial Fund has been set up in Brent's name at the 9/11 Unity Walk, an organization that Brent worked with and supported wholeheartedly. For details about the Unity Walk and how to donate in Brent's name please visit: http://www.911unitywalk.org

We have elected Obama! A man who, in the words of Colin Powell, will be a transformational president. This is the beginning of leveling the horrific karma we have sown in the last seven years. I have had the painful experience of watching up close (from a newsroom) many of the utterly reprehensible policies that will mark the current administration as the one of most deceptive, reckless and arrogant governments in U.S. history. The nightmare is over. My faith (which was nearly lost in the 2004 election) in the American people has been restored. Celebrating in Bangalore, India! YES WE CAN!

Compelling video and articles on Obama and the election. The first was produced by former AU student Lagan Sebert - a beautiful and compelling video. Dr. Martin Luther King must be smiling from above:

So often our thoughts, feelings and memories of a country, people, religion, city are often formed by our personal experiences with individuals. Of course we are all human and 99.99 percent of our DNA, hopes, fears, aspirations and potential for goodness are identical.

I have gotten to know and admire Georgia through friends, students and colleagues including Omar, Anna, Eka, Claire, Ruso, Temo and the many strangers who gave me shelter during my travels.

As the Georgians continue to face an incredibly difficult time in their history, I would like to write about my own reflections on my personal experience with the people. My journey to Georgia began when I was a twenty-something Peace Corps volunteer in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It was 1997. Every year their is an international folk dance festival held in one of the most exquisite venues I have ever experienced - the ancient Roman amphitheatre build in the 3rd century AD. I had finished my work by mid-afternoon and decided to go down to watch the dancers as they practiced on the stage in preparation of the festival. When I saw the Georgian folk dancers, I was stunned. I am not so much of a folk dance enthusiast but watching them -- men jumping like elegant ninjas through the air and spinning on their knees, with black-onyx hair floating across stage like angles. I watched enchanted…… when they finished, I went to them asking if they spoke English. A graceful young Georgian named Omar stepped forward with a smile and said yes. This documentary is about re-connecting with Omar almost seven years later while I was on assignment in his hometown of Batumi.

The doc is quite raw and extremely large (unfortunately not able to do much about the size). It will take a while to load. More to come on this extraordinary country and people.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 September 2008 )

prayer for Georgia

Sunday, 10 August 2008

I am extremely concerned about events in Georgia.... the Russians continue to attack. I hope this will stop immediately. I was just there in the spring with some wonderful students. Here are e-mail I just received from Eka and Ruso:

Oh, Brent, I am so glad you wrote to me, I am o.k. Bomb dropped near my residense but fortunatelly there are no injured. Here is such a mass, people even don't know excactly what is going on,Our president have been urging people so far that Georgian troops were controlling Tskhinvali but Russian media reports vice versa, and about death toll as well, dozens of towns are obliterated, people are in panic, Saakashvili says that death toll rises to 57 people, but Euoropean madia reports about 1,500 and more and I am sure this is true, because my relatives, firends are saying that every day they are getting news about dozens of deceased, doctors are telling that In Gori's hospitals there are mounts of slewn soljiers and recently trained young people who were deployed there and they even don't know normally what to do. Now as you see Russian troops are attacking other towns as well, we don't know what is going to be, and the problem is that we suffer from lack of information as it generally happens during war, neither player wants to desclose strategic information but I suppose we r losing this battles with Russia. Sorry that I overwhelmed you with all this information, I really appreciate your warmth and attention, hope everything will be o.k Eka

From Ruso:Brent! thank you. I am alive, still. But they are bombing Tbilisi, too. And nobody knowss what will be. Russia is bombing the peacful towns and villages in Georga, which are not even closed to south OSsetia. And I hate this South OSsetia and I do not want this land if everyone around me are dead. Here very many people are dead and I have an impression, that the int. society do not have the exact information, what is happaning here, or they would not give up this country..Thanks BRent to be kind and attantive. I hope I will be able to write you again in the future.